Feeding mechanism for hydraulic presses.



W. P. BETTENDORF, DECD.

,1. w. BETTENDORP, ADMINISTRATOR. FEEDING MECHANISM FOR HYDRAULICPRESSES. APPLICATION PILL-ID 001?.25, 1909.

1,021,501. Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

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W. P. BETTENDORP, DEGD.

J. W. BETTBNDORP, ADMINISTRATOR. FEEDING MECHANISM FOR HYDRAULICPRESSES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT 25 1909 1,021,501. PatentedMar.26,l912.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. Kfizeaaea, 32/673??? W. P. BETTENDORP, DEOD. J. W. BETTENDORI,ADMINISTRATOR. FEEDING MECHANISM FOR HYDRAULIC PRESSBS.

APPLICATION FILED 001225, 1909.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

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APPLICATION FILED OUT.25, 1909.

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J. W. BETTENDOBF, ADMINISTRATOR. FEEDING MECHANISM FOR HYDRAULICPRESSES.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.25, 1909.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrron.

WILLIAM 1. BETTENDORF, 0F DAVENPORT, IOWA; J. Vii. BETTENDORFADMINISTRATOR OF SAID WILLIAM P. BETTENDORF, DECEASED.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR HYDRAULIC PRESSES.

Specification of Letters Patent. 7

Application filed October 25, 1909. Serial No. 524,467.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM P. BETTEN- DORF,a citizen of the United States, residlowing is a full, clear, and exactdescription.-

My invention relates to carriages or trucks for feeding heavy work tometal working machines and more particularly for feeding rolled metalbeams to hydraulic presses.

The objects of my invention are to entirely avoid the expense incidentto the manual handling of this kind of work; to en able the operator tomanipulate the work and control the feed thereof to the press, en-

- tirely from his stat-ion alongside the machine, and to avoid thedraggingback and forth-of the hose connections of the pneumatic devicesused, and the rapid wearing out of the same. These and other importantobjects I accomplish by the means hereinafter fully described and asparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation of a hydraulic pressshowing my improvements used in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is anenlarged side elevation of my invention showing the central portionthereof broken away. Fig. 3 is an end view of the same. Fig. 4 is a planview thereof. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing, in section, the pneumaticmeans for reciprocating the carriage. Figs. 6 and 7 are transversevertical sections taken on line 44, Fig. 4, illustrating the positionsassumed by the flipper or pneumatic device employed to turn the work.views of the grapple used in connection with said flipper. Fig. 10 is adiagrammatical view showing, in section, the pneumatic means foractuating the piston in the cylinder of the flipper. Figs. 11 and 12 aredetail view's showing a side elevation, and an edge elevation of amodified construction of the grapple of the flipper.

In the drawings A represents a hydraulic press, the construction ofwhich it is unnecessary to explain in detail. It is sufficient to callattention to the fact that it com- 'a hydraulic ram which is adapted tomove downward, and, in conjunction with the Figs. 8 and 9 are detaillower die, punch, out and shape a metal I- beam according as desired.Beams of the kind shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4 of the drawings willweigh 4800 pounds. The cost of carrying this work to the press by manuallabor would make the cost of the finished product prohibitive, so myinvention is adapted to take the place of manual .labor and to place themanipulation of the same practically within the entire control of theoperator of the press and his helper. Vith this end in view a track islaid that extends longitudinally from one end of the press, in thedirection of the length of the die, and upon this track is placed atruck or carriage the travel of which away from the press is limited bythe length of the air-cylinder used in moving the same longitudinally,or otherwise. This truck consists of four wheels, B, B, that are mountedon the ends of suitable axles, B, journaled in bearings depending downfrom, and preferably made integral with the lower ends of the sections Cand D of the transverse bolsters, located at each end of the truck.Sections C, C, of said bolsters are much wider than sections D, D, andboth sections have their adjacent vertical edges flanged, and, near theupper edge thereof are provided with semi-circular recesses which, whenthe sections are connected together form a circular openinga. for thepassage of the pneumatic cylinder E, used in connection with thepneumatic *means for reciprocating the truck, as will hereinafter bemore fully described. Above this opening a; the flanged edges of thesesections are bolted directly to each other, but belowthe same the web ofthe ends of the I-beam reach, F, connecting the forward with the rearbolster of the truck is placed between the flanged edges of said sectionand secured thereto by the same bolts used to clamp the flanges of thelower portion of the meeting edges of said sections together. As thussecured, flanged edge of said I-beam reach enters the lower portion ofopening a, and the lower flanged edges thereof arebelow the lower edgesof said sections. Cylinder'E is securedto the upper flanges of the reachF by means of straps b, b, or by any other suitable means. The forwardend of this cylinder terminates near the forward bolster but the rearend extends beyond the rear bolster some distance and said cylinder isprovided Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

the upper with a hollow piston G, the outer forward end of which has ahead 0 having longitudinally extending arms secured thereto, theextremities of which pass on each side of and are pivotally connected tolug d fastened upon and arising from the horizontal platform of abracket 6, which latter is secured to and projects from a column flocated at one end of the hydraulic press and designed, among otherthings, to support the adjacent overhanging end of the lower di-e,particularly when the lengths of said die are such that its ends extendbeyond the end of the bed of the press.

A piston-head is secured to the inner end of the piston (gr, whichlatter is provided with a port 9 near said head, and is also providedwith a port near its outer end, that is connected by a pipe g to asuitable source of pneumatic pressure. Extending longitudinally throughpiston G is a tube H, one end of which extends through the piston-head,and the opposite end of which extends out through head 0 of the outerend of the piston. The outer end of this tube H is connected by a pipe Hto a suitable source of air-pressure, and pipe H and pipe g areconnected to a four-way valve, I, on the end of a compressedair-supply-pipe, which is controlled by the operator alongside of thepress. When it is desired to cause the truck to move toward the press,the valve is manipulated so that compressed air is admitted through port9 into the piston, from whence it issues into the cylinder between saidpiston-head and its forward end, and as said piston is stationary,causes said cylinder and the truck to which it is attached to movetoward the press, during which movement the air will exhaust from infront of the opposite side of the pistonhead through tube H, pipe H andits connections. When it is desired to move the truck away from thepress, the compressed air is admitted into the outer end of tube H, fromwhence it enters the rear end of the cylinder back of the piston-headand causes said cylinder and truck to move away from the press, the airon the forward side of the piston-head exhausting from the cylinderthrough port 9 and out of port g The upper flanged edge of sections Cand C, of the bolsters are in a horizontal plane above the cylinderopening a, and extend from the vertical meeting edges of the sec tions adistance less than one-half of the height of the web of the I-beams itis desired to manipulate, and then the edges of said sections C, O, arestepped downward to a horizontal plane intersecting cylinder E about thehorizontal plane of the upper segment of the tube H.

When it is desired to place the I-beam upright, it is turned so that itsweb will be in a vertical plane, and its lower flanges rest.

upon the upper edges of sections C, and when it is desired to place saidbeam in a horizontal position, it is turned so that its web rests uponthe top edges of said sections above said shoulder. In order to holdsaid beam in an upright position, or, in a horizontal position,according as desired, and to turn the same from the former to thelatter, I have provided devices commonly known as a flipper Thisconsists of a cylinder 2, having trunnions 3, 3, about its center oflength, that are j ournaled in bearings in the outer ends of suitablyshaped brackets 4, at, which latter are secured to and project laterallyfrom the web of the reach F, just back of the forward bolsters. Theposition of the cylinder is such that its upper end is below the planeof the lower horizontal portion of the top edges of sections C, and itis provided with a piston, 5, whose upper end has a suitable grapplingdevice securely mounted thereon, as will hereinafter be more fullydescribed. The piston is provided with a piston-head on its inner end,and in order to actuate it, both the upper end and the lower end of thecylinder have a port, 6, 7, therein, respectively. A flexible pipe, 8,connects the upper port, 6, with a longitudinally disposed compressedairtube 9, and a flexible pipe 10, connects the lower port 7, with asimilarly disposed com pressed-air tube 12. Tubes 9 and 12, are,preferably, secured by means of suitable brackets to the web of thereach, and extend from end to end of the truck, through sections C. Theforward ends of tubes 9 and 12, are provided with heads having packedguide-openings for the passage therethrough of telescoping stationarypipes 13 and 14, respectively, which latter extend longitudinally towardthe press and at a convenient point are connected to a fourway valve,11, by means of which compressedair may be supplied to one pipe, 18, andfrom thence to tube 9, in transit to the top of the cylinder, and theair exhausted from the opposite end of the cylinder through flexiblepipe 10, tube 12, and pipe 14, or vice versa, regardless of thedirection in which the truck is moving.

The grapple on the upper end of piston, 5, consists of two members, 15and 16, each of which is pivoted at one end to a transverse bolt 17suitably secured in the ends of corresponding ears of a boss 18 which isseend of which farthest from its pivot is provided with L-shaped orhook-shaped fingers 20 which, when the grapple is in operation, areadapted to fit over and embrace the longitudinal edges of theflangeopposite that embraced by the edge of member 15. The knuckles ofthe hook-shaped fingers, 20, of member 16, are connected by a transversebolt 21, and this bolt, between the linkshaped parts of said member 16,has the eye on the end of a bolt 22 surrounding the same. The barrel ofthis bolt extends out through a suitable opening in the center ofmember15, in a plane which will be parallel to the base of the beam, and has awheel-shaped nut 23, on its screw-threaded end, 24, by tightening whichthe hooked ends of the said member grasps and firmly holds the adjacentflanged edge of the beam between them.v

When this grappling device has been attached to the basal flanges of thebeam, and piston 5 is at the limit of its downward stroke, the said beamwill be securely held in an upright position on the truck as it advancesto the press, while being operated upon in said press, and while beingwithdrawn from the same. Of course, it will be understood that theconstruction of the lower die will greatly contribute toward holding thebeam against any independent movement while being operated upon, butthis result is greatly aided by the grapple. 1

When it is desired to turn the beam, as, for instance, when it isdesired to punch or cut or shape the web thereof, the compressed air ispermitted to enter the lower end of the cylinder and the piston 5 movesupward and pushes and raises the beam upward at such an angle that ittilts over onto the transverse friction roller, 30, journaled in therecess in the upper angle of the shoulder of the bolster, and assumes ahorizontal position and rests upon the upper horizontal edge of sectionG above the shoulder, in which position,"if desired, the grapple may beremoved, and an overhead crane utilized to remove the beam from thetruck. If desired, the beam, when disposed upon the truck may be placedhorizontally upon the upper edges G of the bolsters, in the positionhereinbefore explained, and then the grapple be attached thereto and theI-beam drawn down into the vertical position.

In Figs. 11 and 12 I show a modified construction of the means carriedby the upper end of the piston for grasping the lower flanges of the,I-beam. This consists of a clamping member 31 which, looking at it fromthe front end of the truck, is Z-shaped, and is pivoted at about itslower angle be tween the arms of the head 18 secured to the upper end ofthe piston. The end of the upper horizontal part of this member, 31, isflanged upward and backward to provide an inverted L-shaped flange 32,and the upper surface of its lower horizontal part is provided with alongitudinal central T- shaped tenon, 25. The other member, 26, consistssimply of a straight jaw the lower edge of which is provided with aT-shaped groove that engages the T-shaped tenon, 25. In the plane of theupper surface of the upper part of member 31, member 26, is providedwith a transverse groove 27, which is complementary to the channelproduced by the overhanging flange 32, and is designed to embrace thelongitudinal edge of theflange of the I-beam opposite that embraced bythe flange 32. Member 26 is adjusted to and from member 31 by means of ascrew 28, whose outer end is, preferably, provided with a hand-wheel 29and whose barrel passes through member 26 into a tapped opening at rightangles to the opposing surface of the central vertical portion of member31.

What I claim as new is v 1. Mleans for feeding heavy work to machines,consisting of a suitable truck, a longitudinally disposed cylinder,means constituting a part of said truck to which said cylinder issecured, a stationary piston and piston-head therefor within the pistonand means for alternately supplying the actuating gas or fluid on oneside of said head and simultaneously exhausting it from the other andvice versa.

2. Means for feeding heavy work to machines, comprising a suitabletruck, a longitudinally disposed cylinder, means constituting a. part ofsaid truck to which said cylinder is secured, a stationary hollowpiston, having a port near its outer end and a port. near its inner end,a piston-head secured on and closing the inner end of said hollowpiston, and a hollow tube extending through said piston to which it isclosed and through the piston-head, and means for supplying theactuating gas or. fluid through said piston to one side of saidpiston-head, and exhausting it from the other side through said tube andvice versa.

3. A truck for feeding heavy work to machines comprising wheels,bolsters, and a reach for connecting said bolsters, in combination witha longitudinally disposed cylinder, means constitutinga. part of saidtruck to which said cylinder is secured, a stationary piston andpiston-head within said cylinder, means for supplying the actuatingfluid on one side'of said piston-head and exhausting it from the otherand devices for retaining the work on said truck in a horizontal orvertical position.

I 4. A truck for feeding heavy work to machines comprising wheels,bolsters, and a reach for connecting said bolsters, in combination witha longitudinally disposed cylinder, means constituting a part of saidtruck to which said cylinder is secured, a stationary piston andpiston-head within said cylinder, means for supplying the actuatingfluid on one side of said piston-head and exhausting it from the otherand pneumatically actuated devices for retaining the work on said truckin a horizontal or vertical position.

5. A truck for feeding heavy work to machines comprising wheels,bolsters, and a reach for connecting said bolsters, in combination witha longitudinally disposed cylinder, means constituting a part of saidtruck to which said cylinder is secured, a stationary piston andpiston-head within said cylinder, means for supplying the actuatingfluid on one side of said piston-head and exhausting it from the other,a rocking-cylinder carried by said truck, a piston reciprocable therein,devices secured to the outer end of said piston for moving the worktransversely and retaining the work in the positions to which it hasbeen moved, longitudinally disposed pipes secured to said truck andstationary pipes telescoping into the same for supplying the motivefluid to one end of said cylinder and exhausting the said fluid from theopposite end thereof.

6. A truck for feeding heavy work to machines comprising wheels,bolsters, and a reach for connecting said bolsters, in combination witha longitudinally disposed cylinder, means constituting a part of saidtruck to which said cylinder is secured, a stationary piston andpiston-head within said cylinder, means for supplying the actuatingfluid on one side of said piston-head and exhausting it from the other,a rocking-cylinder carried by said truck, a piston reciprocable therein,devices secured to the outer end of said piston for moving the worktransversely and retaining the work in the positions to which it hasbeen moved, longitudinally disposed pipes secured to said truck andstationary pipes telescoping into the same, and flexible meansconnecting the former to the cylinder for supplying the motive fluid toone end of said cylinder and exhausting the said fluid from the oppositeend thereof.

7. A truck for feeding heavy work to machines comprising wheels,bolsters, and a reach to which said bolsters are secured, in combinationwith a longitudinally disposed cylinder permanently secured to saidtruck against movement relative thereto in the di reetion of length oftravel thereof, means constituting a part of said truck by which saidcylinder is secured, a piston attached at its outer end to stationarymeans independent of the truck, a piston-head within said cylinder,means independent of said truck for supplying the actuating element onone side of said piston-head and exhausting it from the other, andtransversely arranged pneumatically actuated devices carried by saidtruck for moving and for retaining the work on the same in thehorizontal or vertical position to which it has been moved.

8. A truck for feeding heavy work to machines comprising wheels,bolsters, and a reach to which said bolsters are secured, in combinationwith a longitudinally disposed cylinder permanently secured to saidtruck against movement relative thereto in the direction of length oftravel thereof, means constituting a part of said truck by which saidcylinder is secured, a piston attached at its outer end to stationarymeans independent of said truck, a piston-head within said cylinder,means independent of said truck for supplying the actuating element onone side of said piston-head and exhausting it from the other, andtransversely ar-. ranged pneumatically actuated devices car ried by saidtruck located below the support of the work for moving and for retainingthe work on the same in the horizontal or vertical position to which ithas been moved.

9. A truck for feeding heavy work to machines comprising bolsters havinga stepped upper edge that has an upper and lower horizontally disposedportion, a reach connecting said bolsters, pneumatic means including acylinder secured to and forming a part of the truck, and a stationarytube that cooperates with said cylinder, devices for moving said worklaterally into a vertical or horizontal position upon the upper edge ofsaid bolsters, longitudinal pipes carried by and movable with saidtrucks and stationary pipes attached at their outer ends to stationarymeans independent of the truck for pneumatically actuating said devices.

10. A truck for feeding heavy work to machines comprising bolstersconsisting of two sections having a stepped upper edge that has an upperand lower horizontally disposed portion, an I-beam reach connecting saidbolsters, pneumatic means including a cylinder secured to and forming apart of the truck, and a stationary tube that cooperates with saidcylinder, devices for moving said work laterally into a vertical orhorizontal position upon the upper edge of said bolsters, longitudinalpipes carried by and movable with said trucks and stationary pipesattached at their outer ends to stationary means independent of thetruck for pneumatically actuating said devices.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set .my hand this 16th day of October1909.

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